Running backs that have carried the ball 320+ times in a season 98 times since the 1992 campaign. This has been accomplished by just 45 different running backs. In fact 56 of those 98 campaigns were the work of just 15 players (noted below) and just 22 players reached this list and never did it a second time. Here are the players that have managed the feat multiple times.

Six Times (3 players)

Curtis Martin

Eddie George

Edgerrin James

Five Times (2 players)

Emmitt Smith

LaDainian Tomlinson

Four Times (1 player)

Clinton Portis

Three Times (8 players)

Barry Sanders

Jerome Bettis

Ricky Watters

Rudi Johnson

Shaun Alexander

Steven Jackson

Terrell Davis

Tiki Barber

Two Times (10 players)

Corey Dillon

Deuce McAllister

Larry Johnson

Michael Turner

Priest Holmes

Ricky Williams

Stephen Davis

Terry Allen

Travis Henry

Willie Parker

One Time (22 players)

Adrian Peterson

Ahman Green

Arian Foster

Barry Foster

Cedric Benson

Chris Johnson

Chris Warren

Dorsey Levens

Duce Staley

Errict Rhett

Fred Taylor

Jamal Anderson

Jamal Lewis

James Stewart

Marshall Faulk

Maurice Jones-Drew

Natrone Means

Rashard Mendenhall

Rodney Hampton

Thomas Jones

Thurman Thomas

Willis McGahee

Some General Thoughts

The 320-carry mark does not appear to be impossible to hit again and again if a player is durable and talented. However just half the players on our list were able to accomplish the feat. There are several current players on our list who have reached this goal once who are capable of reaching it again. Chris Johnson (Titans), Adrian Peterson (Vikings), Arian Foster (Texans), Rashard Mendenhall, Willis McGahee and Maurice Jones-Drew have all had 320+ carries once. Jones-Drew in fact managed it for the first time last year and he is certainly durable and talented enough to reach it again. I think a great bet to reach 320+ carries this season is Arian Foster who when healthy may be the best 20+ carry back in the game today. Chris Johnson may never finish with that many carries again and both Adrian Peterson and Rashard Mendenhall are coming off of injuries. Add in veteran Willis McGahee who is likely not young enough to rack up that many carries, and it is unlikely that more than two of the current players will become "multiple" players on this list.

There are certainly current players I believe have an excellent shot at joining this list for the first time in the upcoming season. The most likely player to reach 320+ carries in my opinion is Marshawn Lynch of the Seahawks. He finished with 285 carries in 15 games last year (304 carry pace). He also managed to carry the ball 280 times in just 13 games as a rookie (345 carry pace)… The worry with Lynch is that he runs like a man possessed and it is nearly impossible for him to stay healthy for all sixteen games unless he shares the load. Ray Rice is a durable, talented superstar who has averaged over 330 touches in each of the last three seasons and had close to 370 touches in each of the last two years. With a few more carries he'll join this study for the first time. He has not missed a game in three seasons, displaying he has the needed durability to do it. A wildcard to consider this season is rookie Trent Richardson of the Cleveland Browns. He is without question the go-to back and the team may feed him 25 times a game to take pressure off of the quarterbacks.

Of the players already on the list multiple times, only Michael Turner and Steven Jackson are still playing and in a position to achieve 320+ carries once again. Both players have a lot of wear and tear on the tires and both have younger, talented running backs that will begin to steal touches away but if they stay healthy and perform at a good level, 20 carries per game is a possibility.

What did this mean in regard to fantasy points?

Twenty-four of the 98 running backs (24.5%) in this study finished with 300+ fantasy points (in non-PPR leagues). Not a terrible number but a little surprising that more of the players in this study did not reach this level. It was actually just sixteen players that managed to reach 300 points in this study including current players Arian Foster, Chris Johnson and Steven Jackson

Over half of the players in this study (83 of the 98) managed to finish with 200+ fantasy points (a good fantasy season in non-PPR leagues). When you see this list, you see right away that the true superstars of the position such as Curtis Martin, Barry Sanders, Clinton Portis, Edgerrin James, LaDainian Tomlinson, Emmitt Smith, etc. manage to do this several times in their career.

Only 15 of the players failed to reach the 200-point level so 320+ carries will usually mean good fantasy production. The lowest output in the study was 154 fantasy points by Rodney Hampton so even the worst 320+ carry running back will still have significant value.

Another somewhat surprising statistic is that 32 of the 98 players (32.7%) failed to average 4.0 yards per carry. Perhaps this is a sign of fatigue and why many NFL teams have embraced the running back by committee approach in this era.

Only 31 of the 98 players (31.6%) averaged 4.5 yards per carry or greater in this study. Of course all of those players had good fantasy numbers

There definitely appears to be a connection between 320+ carries and rushing touchdowns. 62 of the 98 players (63.2%) managed to rush for at least ten touchdowns on the season and 74 of them had at least 8 rushing touchdowns.

The finest season on this list was LaDainian Tomlinson back in 2006. I am sure everyone remembers this season in which he rushed for 1,815 yards, added 508 receiving yards and scored 31 total touchdowns. His 427 fantasy points were a staggering 54 fantasy points ahead of the next closest player (Priest Holmes in 2003)

Conclusion

Looking at the data in this study there is a more than reasonable expectation that a player who carries the ball 320 times will be able to do it again. This appears to be even more likely if these players have durability and are top-tier talents. Current players whom I believe to have a chance at reaching this list for the first time include Marshawn Lynch, Ray Rice and rookie Trent Richardson of the Browns. However there are several other candidates although less likely such as young up and comers such as Ryan Matthews, Demarco Murray and Mark Ingram. Of the players on the list, the ones most likely to make a run at 320+ carries in 2012 in my opinion are Maurice Jones-Drew and Arian Foster. Both are cornerstones of their offense attack and will get 20+ carries per game if healthy.

The 98 Running Backs in Alphabetical Order

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